Update (June 24, 9 p.m.): Polls are officially closed. Check back for updates as election results come in.
Polls are officially open for New York City’s 2025 Primary Election, and Brooklynites are heading out to vote in a packed primary cycle that includes closely watched races for mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate and more.
In addition to citywide offices, Brooklyn voters will decide who will represent them as borough president, civil court judge, and in the City Council — all under the city’s ranked-choice voting system.
Early voting turnout was strong this year, especially in Brooklyn. According to the city’s Board of Elections, more than 142,000 Brooklynites cast their ballots during the nine-day early voting period — a 118% jump compared to the last mayoral primary in 2021. That’s the highest early voter turnout of any borough this year, outpacing even Manhattan.
Citywide, 384,338 voters checked in early — more than double the 191,197 early votes cast during the 2021 primary.
What to expect today
While the citywide mayoral race has captured much of the spotlight, several local contests in Brooklyn are drawing intense interest — particularly in southern Brooklyn, where Council Member Inna Vernikov faces a Republican primary challenge from former Democrat-turned-Republican Ari Kagan in District 48. Across the borough, in District 39, incumbent Council Member Shahana Hanif is fending off a challenge from Maya Kornberg, a former researcher at the Brennan Center for Justice, in a race that could test the political mood in Park Slope and Kensington.
Term-limited Council Member Justin Brannan, who currently represents parts of Bay Ridge and Coney Island, is looking to make a leap to citywide office with a run for New York City Comptroller. He’s facing a competitive Democratic primary against Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, State Senator Kevin Parker and others.
The Democratic mayoral primary is wide open, with former Governor Andrew Cuomo facing off against former Comptroller Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and progressive favorite Zohran Mamdani. With no clear frontrunner, ranked-choice voting and high turnout in Brooklyn could be key to deciding the race.
Brooklyn Paper will have reporters stationed at polling sites throughout the borough today, and we’ll be tracking the results of some of the most contentious races as they unfold tonight.
Calm before the storm
As of 9 a.m., things appeared calm at polling sites across Brooklyn.
Thanks in part to a strong early voting turnout and the city’s first major heatwave of the summer, little to no lines were reported at poll sites in neighborhoods like Bay Ridge, Crown Heights and Bushwick. Poll workers described a steady but manageable flow of voters, with most sites well-staffed and air-conditioned — offering a brief reprieve from the scorching heat outside.
Still, some sites — like M.S. 51 and P.S. 321 in Park Slope — saw a steady stream of voters.
Fran and Michael, who cast their ballots at M.S. 51, told Brooklyn Paper that homelessness, housing and transportation were top concerns heading into this primary.
“I’m also concerned about the transparency of politics and where the concentration of power lies,” Michael said. “I’m concerned about corruption in government and honesty. That’s a very important thing to me.”
Michael noted that the high turnout among younger voters — particularly those between ages 25 and 34 — was encouraging.
“I think it’s a positive sign. I hope that it becomes something national. My breath is held until the next elections [and] see what happens,” he said. “There’s great advertising among politicians and spins. For me, what happens in the voting booth is going to determine the future of this country.”
William Yu, who also voted at M.S. 51, said his biggest concerns were housing and street safety.
“I think the affordability is a main issue in terms of housing, really just the cost of everything is really important,” Yu said. “The other important thing for us is street safety — e-bikes and cars.”
Yu said he hoped high voter turnout among young people would lead to more long-term civic engagement.
“Things are really hard right now, particularly for young people,” he said, acknowledging that it took significant challenges to mobilize younger voters. “I wish that it was always this way, but I think it’s great. Whatever gets the young people out.”
Voters Kelly and Sarah said they had no particular policy concerns but were excited to cast their votes — with the exception of one shared worry: the possibility of Andrew Cuomo winning the primary.
“There are so many exciting people who are running for mayor and running to be civil servants in this election. We woke up this morning excited to come here and vote and about the slate of candidates willing to serve the people of New York,” Sarah said. “They just seem like they do want to be civil servants. They are working for us and want everything to be better in New York. And I think a New York that gets better and better is the kind of New York I want to live in.”
Her partner Kelly added, “The people who treat this as their job, those are the people that you want to elect, not the people who think it’s some sort of cool thing to do.”
Keeping on the campaign trail
The two leading candidates in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary — Cuomo and Mamdani — hit the campaign trail Tuesday as voters braved the sweltering heat to make their voices heard on Primary Day.
Cuomo, the moderate former governor who is attempting a political comeback after resigning in 2021 amid multiple sexual harassment allegations that he denies, voted at his polling site at Art and Design High School in Midtown East on Tuesday morning. He arrived at the polls around 11 a.m. on June 24, jumping out of a black SUV flanked by two of his three daughters — Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo and Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo.
Cuomo indicated that he only voted for himself in the mayoral race, leaving the other four slots in the ranked-choice primary blank. He said that he did vote for candidates in down-ballot races but would not divulge their names, instead saying, “My vote is private.”
Although Cuomo had been leading in the polls by a wide margin for much of the primary, he and Mamdani — a democratic socialist Queens Assembly member — were neck-and-neck in a bombshell Emerson College poll released on Monday.
Meanwhile, Mamdani gathered with supporters at the Astoria Park Pool, which lies in his Assembly district, early Tuesday morning to kick off his Election Day. He framed his insurgent campaign as the “dawn of a new era” in the city.
Back in Brooklyn, Council Member Brannan — now vying for City Comptroller — cast his vote at Shore Hill Housing in Bay Ridge, accompanied by his wife, Leigh. The couple was joined by a four-legged voter-in-training, who kept their ballot preferences strictly under wraps.
Local elected officials and mayoral hopefuls made their final pitches to Brooklyn voters Tuesday, mingling outside polling places and urging residents to head to the ballot box before polls closed at 9 p.m.
Council Member Shahana Hanif and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso teamed up outside M.S. 51 in Park Slope, greeting voters and sharing their enthusiasm for the day’s turnout. Hanif, who faces challenger Maya Korneberg in Council District 39, said she felt energized by her campaign’s ground game.
“We ran an incredibly impressive field program,” she told Brooklyn Paper, adding that she was confident it would lead to a win.
Hanif also expressed excitement about the Democratic mayoral primary, referencing the coordinated efforts of candidates Mamdani and Lander.
“We’re charting a new politics with what we’ve seen Zohran do. And then in recent weeks, Zohran and Brad,” Hanif said. “I think it’s very important that New Yorkers see that kind of collaboration and recognize that New Yorkers have leaders and that we’re about to chart a new city.”
She praised the high turnout among young voters, calling them a crucial part of the city’s political future.
“[Young voters] is what’s gonna usher in a new generation of government staffers [and] folks interested in public policy. And all the other facets of elected life and advocacy life. So I’m excited,” she said.
Reynoso said he was thrilled by the surge of young voters across the borough.
“It truly speaks to the amount of young people and the activation of young people in Brooklyn, getting them excited about politics, elections, and government,” he said, noting that Kings County had led the city in early voting turnout — with 142,735 votes cast, a 118% increase from the last election.
“I couldn’t be prouder of Brooklyn,” Reynoso added. “We’re going to have the most votes. We’re going to increase the vote total. I’m proud of Brooklyn — it is the best borough in the city of New York and is proving it once again. If all goes well, and we elect Zohran Mamdani or Brad Lander, it’s gonna be because of the work Brooklyn did.”
Queens Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas made the trip to Park Slope to support Hanif, whom she described as a “bold, brilliant” leader who takes her role seriously.
“I know [Hanif] cares deeply about the community, and she’s been very courageous as a city council member,” González-Rojas said. “Those are the women we need in office. Those are women who are going to change the world. So, I’m out here all the way from Queens to support her.”
Democratic mayoral candidate Lander — who previously held Hanif’s City Council seat — also spent the afternoon on his home turf in Park Slope, greeting voters outside the 7th Avenue and 9th Street F/G subway station alongside Hanif and Assembly Member Robert Carroll.
Lander said voters seemed energized by his message of hope and his collaborative campaign with Mamdani.
“There’s something in running as a slate, something in cross-endorsing with Zohran, that has made people feel optimistic about the future of our city — for all our problems, for Trump and affordability and corruption. People like the city and want to see us come together to make it better,” he said.
Assembly Member Carroll praised voters and poll workers alike for braving the heat and ensuring a smooth election day.
“It’s almost six o’clock now, and it looks like voting throughout the city has gone on without a hitch under tough circumstances, with it being about 100 degrees out,” Carroll told Brooklyn Paper. “It seems like lots of New Yorkers have come out. And I think that’s impressive, too.”
Bed-Stuy voters weigh their options
As the blistering afternoon wore on, the sidewalk outside P.S. 262 in Bed-Stuy became a microcosm of the election.
Volunteers with Make the Road New York gathered on the sidewalk outside the busy polling place, waiting for an appearance from Lander and Council Member Chi Ossé, who is up for reelection in District 35. Feet away, a volunteer with the Cuomo campaign passed out flyers to passersby on their way to vote.
The volunteer, who asked not to be named, said she was “not that into politics.” Her friends are more politically-involved, she said, and she felt Cuomo “seemed like an OK guy.”
Voters in Bed-Stuy hadn’t been particularly receptive to receiving Cuomo pamphlets, she said — during Brooklyn Paper’s visit, two voters turned them down — but she said she wasn’t “trying to change anyone’s mind.”
“Politics are alright, it’s the heat that’s unbearable,” she said.
But Lander and Ossé weren’t just drumming up support for themselves — they were encouraging voters not to rank Cuomo at all.
“Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo are peas in a pod, the only people they care about are themselves. That kind of selfish, egomaniacal politics, I don’t think New Yorkers want it,” Lander said. “In contrast, when Zohran and I cross endorsed, the goal was to add up enough votes to make sure we keep Andrew Cuomo away from City Hall.”
Ossé, who endorsed Lander, Cuomo, and Adrienne Adams in the Democratic primary, said those candidates “have a rap sheet of doing great work for our city,” and aren’t beholden to outside interests.
Mayor Eric Adams, he said, has frequently deprioritized the needs of New Yorkers. While he conceded that Adams has “done a lot of great work around building new housing,” he hasn’t done enough to protect tenants.
“Even when I was trying to pass the FARE Act to end forced broker fees, he was someone who was very adamant about not seeing something like that happen,” Ossé said.
Affordable housing was top of mind for some of Ossé’s constituents. Shauna, a local who asked not to share her last name, was waiting for her son outside P.S. 262 so they could vote together.
She’s lived in Bed-Stuy for 34 years, she said, and has raised three of her own children there while also watching out for a “village” of other kids in the community.
“There needs to be affordable housing,” she said. “And they say affordable housing, $100,000 is affordable to who? Make it affordable for the working class people. Make our streets safe so our children can walk and go to the park and play and be safe.”
Shauna said she’s watched all the mayoral debates, and prioritizes the safety and well-being of her family and her entire neighborhood.
“Family is first and most important, not just my family, but the community at large and families at large have what they need and they can live a good quality of life,” she said. “Safety in the community is very, very important.”
As she stood outside the polling site, watching Lander and Ossé, Shauna was still making up her mind.
“I’m still praying about who to vote for,” she said.
No matter who won, she said, one thing would be most important.
“Just don’t forget the people once we elect you in. That’s the most important thing. If you have an issue, take care of the issue,” she said. ““ get so many text messages and phone calls from [candidates.] But when we call them, please return our calls.”
Another local mom, Christine, stood on the sidewalk with her four-year-old daughter, who had donned an “I’m a future voter” sticker after joining her mom at the polls. While the candidates mingled, Christine quietly explained to her daughter that they were running for mayor and council, and what they had just done together in the voting booth.
“It was really cool to have my daughter with me in there,” she said. “I always get a little bit emotional when voting.”
Christine declined to say who she had voted for, but said she was “feeling really good about it.”
“I think about people other than myself when I’m going in to vote, but I also think about schools, public safety, and health,” she said. “I really just feel excited about the candidates running right now, I feel hopeful, I feel like people are organizing, and it’s bringing the city farther in a way that makes me feel inspired.”
As the crowd thinned, Tai Allen remained, striking up conversation with passing voters. “No Cuomo, no Reynoso!” he said, referring to the incumbent Brooklyn Borough President.
Allen is the policy director for Khari O. Edwards, who is challenging Reynoso in the primary. The pair have been friends for years, Allen said.
“Even [Edwards’] first time running, I felt that he was the person that had the best platform for Borough President and could do the job the best,” he said. “And unfortunately, after watching Reynoso for four years, I still feel that way.”
He criticized Reynoso for accepting donations from real estate heavy hitters, and said the beep hadn’t followed through on certain campaign promises.
I’ve been looking forward to this election,” Allen said. “There are people I’d like to see in office, I think we can have politicians who are not dogmatic, but are practical and willing to see multiple sides of an issue.”
Last-minute changes spark tension in southern Brooklyn
As election got underway in southern Brooklyn, candidates scrambled for last-minute endorsements. Council Member Kagan, who is challenging incumbent Inna Vernikov in Council District 48, secured backing from Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny, former State Senator Marty Golden, and Assembly Member Michael Novakhov. Meanwhile, on June 23, Vernikov released a surprise late-night video retracting her endorsement of Richie Barsamian, the GOP county chair and a fellow Republican running in District 47. The move confused many of her own supporters, who also backed Barsamian, and was criticized as petty political drama.
Tensions escalated on social media, with Novakhov releasing a video accusing Vernikov of intimidation tactics and branding her campaign as divisive, despite having once endorsed her. In turn, Vernikov’s allies slammed Novakhov’s remarks as unhinged and inflammatory.
Check back throughout the day for live primary election updates. Experience something unusual at your poll site? We want to hear from you! E-mail [email protected] with the subject line “Primary Day Live Updates.” Last updated: June 24, 9 p.m.
With reporting by Gabriele Holtermann, Meaghan McGoldrick, Lloyd Mitchell, Erica Price, Robert Pearl, Ethan Stark-Miller & Kirstyn Brendlen
